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The low and intermediate level nuclear waste storage facility in Gyeongju started use on July 13

On May 25, the South Korean government gave early notice of its basic plan for handling high-level radioactive waste. The plan is to build the underground research facility, the interim storage facility and the permanent disposal facility on the same land. The interim facility will be used for the next 40-50 years until a permanent facility is constructed. Over the next 12 years, the site is to be acquired, with facilities built in stages until the permanent disposal facility opens in 2053.

In June 2015, the Public Engagement Commission on Spent Nuclear Fuel Management advised the government to acquire land for these facilities by 2020, and the delayed timeframe is the most striking feature of the government’s plan.

The most critical debate at present is what to do about the temporary dry storage facilities at each nuclear reactor complex, which are currently holding spent nuclear fuel but will soon run out of space. According to this plan, the government will build short-term storage facilities at each reactor complex. Considering that locals are already strongly opposed to these kinds of storage facilities, there are likely to be numerous conflicts and interruptions as the government pushes forward with the plan.

The temporary storage facilities for spent fuel at South Korea’s nuclear reactor complexes will reach the saturation point starting with Wolseong in 2019, followed by Gori and Yonggwang in 2024, Uljin in 2037 and Shin-Wolseong in 2038. The government says that it will build short-term dry storage facilities inside each reactor “if it is unavoidable” - meaning that this is the default plan.

But if an interim storage facility is not built, the short-term storage facilities inside these nuclear reactors could effectively become interim storage facilities. It is unlikely that locals will tolerate this.

In 2005, the government announced plans to build a disposal site for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste at the Wolseong nuclear reactor in Gyeongju. In a law passed around the same time about selecting sites for radioactive waste disposal facilities, it promised Gyeongju that it would not build a facility there that was “related to spent nuclear fuel.” It is absurd for the government to then claim that this short-term storage facility is not “related to spent nuclear fuel” but rather “related to the nuclear reactor.”

To begin with, the South Korean public was not given enough time to discuss the recommendation made by the Public Engagement Commission on Spent Nuclear Fuel Management. Two of the commission members recommended by civic groups resigned immediately after the commission was launched because of questions about the fairness of the commission’s composure, and even after that the commission’s work was disrupted repeatedly.

Of the many countries in the world that are running nuclear reactors, the only ones that have acquired land for or actually built a permanent disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste are Finland and Sweden. That shows how difficult a task this is - one that cannot be carried out without adequate public discussion.

While the government has been debating policies for managing high-level radioactive waste since 1983, attempts to implement these policies have continued to sputter out. The reason why it has been difficult to reach a social consensus is that the government keeps trying to unilaterally implement its policies about nuclear reactors.

The government stubbornly attempts to extend the lifespan of aging nuclear reactors and keeps pushing to build new ones. As long as the government does not pay heed to the voices of criticism, high-level radioactive waste management is likely to remain in limbo for some time to come.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]